Williamston Theatre to Present DARK NIGHTS IN BILLTOWN, 11/13-15

Mid-Michigan's award winning professional theatre company, Williamston Theatre, located at 122 S. Putnam in downtown Williamston, continues their theatrical experience in "found spaces" (rooms that are not traditional theatre spaces), Dark Nights in Billtown. This season there will be two rounds of Dark Nights. The first round runs November 13 - 15 with a trio of new plays.

What happens in those weeks between shows at the Williamston Theatre? After a show closes, the next show's set is "loaded in" to the theatre space and rehearsals begin. The powerful lighting instruments aren't in use, so we say that the theatre has "gone dark". During those "dark nights," the Williamston Theatre Four (Tony, Chris, Emily, and John) miss the ebb and flow of the community in and out of the theatre's doors...And they started to ask themselves...What if we transformed other spaces in the building into temporary performance spaces? What if we did staged readings of plays, which require much less rehearsal than a full production and no design process?

For the first installment of Dark Nights in Billtown 2014-2015 we've found three new scripts. For a playwright, there's nothing more important to the development of a new play than to hear it read by professional actors in front of an audience.

Thursday, November 13 at 8PM: Summer Retreat by Annie Martin

Amy arrives at the cottage to complete a mission in the name of her old friend Nancy. But will the rest of their friends stand in her way? With a fridge full of beer, hilarious barbs are flying around in the dusty air. This unplanned trip will test their bonds and keep you laughing.

Friday, November 14 at 8PM: Okay, Bye by Joshua Conkel

At an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, two thirty-somethings recognize each other from their high school days. Back then, they didn't have much in common: Meg was an "alternative" and Jenny was a "Goody-Goody." But now both their lives are on the brink of implosion. Jenny, sure that Meg's bleak, sardonic humor is just a front, insists that a slumber party is the answer to all their problems. But it's not the 90s anymore, and it might take more than pedicures and Pretty in Pink to fuel a friendship that makes life worth living.

Saturday, November 15 at 8PM: The Road to Appomattox by Catherine Bush

April, 1865. Confederate troops can no longer hold Richmond, and General Robert E. Lee must evacuate his men. The Army of Northern Virginia swings west, beginning "Lee's Final Retreat." It is this retreat trail that present-day Beau Weeks and his wife Jenny are following, retracing the steps of Lee's army in order to investigate Beau's family history. As General Lee faces the disintegration of his army, Beau and Jenny confront a past that threatens to destroy their marriage. Both Past and Present must decide for themselves what it means to surrender... and what price they're willing to pay for the Union.

Dark Nights in Billtown will be an intimate theatrical experience in "found spaces" (rooms that are not traditional theatre spaces, but have been adapted for theatrical purposes), which means that there will be, limited seating! We've only got 25 seats for each show. Call 517-655-SHOW to have your name put on "The Billtown List." Suggested donation of $10.00 per person at the door. All readings will be held at 122 S. Putnam Street.

The Williamston Theatre is a not-for-profit, professional live theatre company, dedicated to producing plays that excite, engage and entertain our audiences. The theatre opened its doors in 2006, is the winner of a 2014 Nation Theatre Company Grant from The American Theatre Wing and has received a number of local awards including the 2008 Robert Busby Award for extraordinary overall contribution to theatre in the Greater Lansing Area.

Williamston Theatre patrons will find ample parking on the street and in several municipal lots throughout the city. The theatre is located in downtown Williamston (exit 117 off of I-96) just south of Grand River Avenue. Additional information about the company and the 2012-2013 Season is available online at www.williamstontheatre.org or by calling (517) 655-SHOW (7469).

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